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''John Carpenter's Vampires'' is a 1998 film by Creator/JohnCarpenter loosely based on the novel ''Literature/{{Vampires}}''. It is about a group of vampire hunters out to prevent the original master vampire from getting the black cross which will allow him to walk in the sunlight.

It has two direct-to-DVD sequels, ''Vampires: Los Muertos'' (2002) and ''Vampires: The Turning'' (2005).

----!!This film provides examples of:

* AbsurdlySharpClaws: The BigBad vampire cuts a human cleanly in two with just his claws.* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: [[spoiler:Montoya is bitten by the vampirized hooker and turns into a vampire himself.]]* AntiHero: Jack Crow. He's a VampireHunter, but he's not above beating down priests if it helps him achieve his goals.%%* BigBad: Valek, the original vampire.* BreakingAndBloodsucking: Katrina enters a motel room unaware that Valek is waiting for her on the ceiling. She's terrified when he descends on her, but afterward she's shaking in ecstasy as he feeds between her legs.* BulletproofHumanShield: During Valek's massacre at the motel, he grabs one of the hookers to have her soak up some bullets. Subverted in that he's not even doing this for protection but purely out of sadism, as he's actually immune to gunfire.* CanisLatinicus: While mocking the myths of vampire hunting, Jack says that if you try and ward a vampire off with garlic, he will take a walk up your "strata chocolata" whilst sucking your blood. This is dog Latin for "Hershey highway".* CeilingCling: Master vampire Valek does this before attacking Katrina.* ChristianityIsCatholic: Granted, it's hard to imagine another branch of Christianity with the money, connections, or influence to secretly fund and equip teams of vampire hunters around the world.* ChurchMilitant: The vampire hunting teams were sponsored by the Catholic Church.* CleanCut: Valek slices somebody in half vertically using his hand.* CreatureHunterOrganization: The vampire hunters are all funded by the Catholic Church, so they can collectively be called a single organization.* DisposableSexWorker: Played straight with the prostitutes at the motel whom Valek slaughters. Subverted with the one Valek actually feeds on; he doesn't finish her off and she becomes the heroes' main connection to tracking him down. She could also have been [[spoiler: TheMole, due to Valek's influence over her.]]* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Valek and the rest of vampires.* EvilOverlooker: On the posters Valek is shown as a face in the clouds overlooking the heroes.* FantasticCatholicism: The Catholic Church funds and controls paramilitary squads of vampire hunters all over the world.* GoneHorriblyWrong: The first vampire Valek was a priest in medieval Prague who led a peasant revolt. When he was captured, the church thought he was possessed and performed an exorcism for him. Because he wasn't possessed however, instead of driving out a demon from him, the exorcism PUT ONE in him, turning him in the first vampire.* {{Gorn}}: Special mention given to the fountain filled with monks' blood.* HealItWithFire: Montoya does this pretty much every time he's wounded, once with a lighter, and once by firing his sub-machine gun into the air then holding the hot barrel to the wound.* HellBentForLeather: Jack Crow is never seen without his leather jacket.* ImmortalitySeeker: An interesting variation with vampire lord Valek, who is ''already'' immortal and has walked the earth for centuries. However, he can still be destroyed by sunlight. Acquiring the Berzier Cross (and completing the original ritual) will make him truly invulnerable and achieve something close to CompleteImmortality. [[spoiler:Also, Cardinal Alba's reason for allying with Valek.]]%%* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Jack Crow does this to Father Adam in order to know what Valek and his minions are searching.* {{Jerkass}}: Jack Crow is very aggressive and violent to the second priest of his team. Justified in that he recently witnessed most of his original team being slaughtered by Valek and that second priest was withholding information. He later becomes a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.* KissOfTheVampire: The prostitute bitten by the Master vampire certainly seems to be enjoying herself when Valek is between her legs.%%* LargeHam: Valek. * MercyLead: [[spoiler: At the end of the film, Jack gives his friend Montoya a two day head start after learning he was bitten earlier in the film and is slowly turning.]]* MonsterProgenitor: Valek is the first vampire, accidentally created during a botched exorcism. He is the strongest, as the only thing that can hurt him is sunlight. He lacks every other vampire weakness. His goal in the movie is to complete the exorcism in order to become truly immortal. This would also allow him to make other vampires without weaknesses.* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires are feral monsters that bleed black blood and can take a stake to the skull with no ill effect. Vampires while feral seem to be sentient though, especially Valek.* APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy: The vampire hunters throw one after killing a group of vampires. Then Valek pays an unexpected visit and starts a massacre.* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Jack Crow is sexist.* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The vampire hunters are professional mercenaries hired by the Vatican (as in the original Swiss Guard).* RatedMForManly: Gore and scantily clad women are common in this movie.* RazorSharpHand: Valek at one point uses his bare hand to first jam it into a human's chest, then swings the arm in an upward motion to completely rip the poor victim in half.%%* SirSwearsALot: Jack Crow. * SpitefulSpit: Jack Crow does this to [[spoiler:Cardinal Alba after he reveals himself as an ally to Valek.]]* StakingTheLovedOne: Crow killed his own father after he turned into a vampire.* TranshumanTreachery:** [[spoiler:Cardinal Alba has secretly joined with Valek in order to become immortal.]]** [[spoiler: Likewise the hooker who Valek bit. Through the film she's slowly turning, losing more and more of her humanity. Eventually during the botch raid, she fully turns and feeds on Montoya. Before walking back to the town to join Valek's group]]* UnflinchingWalk: Jack Crow does one when he blows up a building to bury the evidence of a vampire massacre.* VampireBitesSuck: Vampires don't suck blood so much as tear a hole in your carotid and lap at the fountain.%%* WhoYouGonnaCall* YourVampiresSuck: The movie makes fun of anything but stakes and sunlight working against the undead.* ZombieInfectee: Montoya hides his own vampire bite. His subterfuge does not really matter, as he gets bitten again later in a less discreet place.

!!''Vampires: Los Muertos'' provides examples of:

* ChillOfUndeath: Shows the vampire's body as being blue through a heat sensing goggles-type thing.* BookEnds: In the earlier portions of the movie, Derek Bliss rants how his superiors task him to go after the vampiress when he was supposed to go surfing in San Diego. In the end, [[spoiler: after the villainess has been killed, Derek and Zoe travel to San Diego.]]* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: How Una is killed.]]* CoolGuns: Derek Bliss' custom spike gun.* DaywalkingVampire: [[spoiler: Zoe thanks to his pills. Una, briefly, after she steals Zoe's pills.]]* EarnYourHappyEnding: see [[BookEnds Book Ends]] above* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: The vampiress Una. Apparently all the masters vampires are this.* GenreBlindness: Despite being a vampire hunter, Ray isn't suspicious at all when a mysterious woman comes on to him during his guard shift at night.* GoryDiscretionShot: Several points throughout the film.** Una slashes all the throats of the customers and the employees in the diner, save for Bliss who was in the bathroom at that time. When Derek comes out of the bathroom, he is greeted by sight of the victims still clutching their bleeding wounds. One of the waitress manages to ring the police alarm before collapsing due to blood loss.** Derek Bliss finds a person who committed suicide by way of blowing his head off with a shotgun. The congealed blood is splattered in the nearby wall.* HunterOfHisOwnKind: [[spoiler: Zoe is actually a vampiress.]]* ICallItVera: Ray calls his shotgun "Miss P".* KatanasAreJustBetter: Derek's primary weapon is a katana which he keeps hidden in a surf board.* TheMole: [[spoiler: Ray becomes one after Una sedueces him to Zoe's pills, causing Una to be immune to the sunlight's effects.]]* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler: Vampire-turned Ray apologizes to Bliss for "fucking up" (i.e. stealing Zoe's pills and giving it to Una). While Bliss accepts his apology, he stabs a stake through his heart to end Ray's misery.]]* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: An alternative way to kill vampires besides the tradition stake-to-the-heart method. See BoomHeadshot above.* RidingIntoTheSunset: [[spoiler: After the battle with Una the vampire princess, Derek and Zoe ride off towards the sunset on their way to San Diego.]]%%* SexyPriest: Father Rodrigo.* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Ray Collins is armed with a shotgun with custom-made 12 gauge slugs meant to instantly kill vampires. After [[spoiler: Ray's death]], Derek takes the weapon and uses it to [[spoiler: blow Una's head off]].* ShoutOut: Derek Bliss' surfboard armory of anti-vampire weaponry is a direct nod to Film/Desperado.* SouthOfTheBorder: Takes place in Mexico.* SuperSpeed: Una is able to kill a whole diner full of people by the time it takes for a paper towel thrown by Bliss to land in a bin.* TheUndead: Well, it's a vampire movie after all.

!!''Vampires: The Turning'' provides examples of:

%%* HolidayInCambodia* RaceAgainstTheClock: Connor must slay the vampire lord before his girlfriend is turned.